1. Field of the Inventions
This invention relates to climate control. More specifically, this invention relates to climate control of a seat.
2. Description of the Related Art
Temperature modified air for environmental control of living or working space is typically provided to relatively extensive areas, such as entire buildings, selected offices, or suites of rooms within a building. In the case of vehicles, such as automobiles, the entire vehicle is typically cooled or heated as a unit. There are many situations, however, in which more selective or restrictive air temperature modification is desirable. For example, it is often desirable to provide an individualized climate control for an occupant seat so that substantially instantaneous heating or cooling can be achieved. For example, an automotive vehicle exposed to the summer weather, where the vehicle has been parked in an unshaded area for a long period, can cause the vehicle seat to be very hot and uncomfortable for the occupant for some time after entering and using the vehicle, even with normal air conditioning. Furthermore, even with normal air-conditioning, on a hot day, the occupant's back and other pressure points may remain sweaty while seated. In the winter, it is highly desirable to have the ability to warm the seat of the occupant quickly to facilitate the occupant's comfort, especially where the normal vehicle heater is unlikely to warm the vehicle's interior as quickly.
For such reasons, there have been various types of individualized climate control systems for vehicle seats. Such climate control systems typically include a distribution system comprising a combination of channels and passages formed in the back and/or seat cushions of the seat. A thermal module conditions the climate of the air and delivers the conditioned air to the channels and passages. The climate conditioned air flows through the channels and passages to cool or heat the space adjacent the surface of the vehicle seat.
There are, however, drawbacks with existing climate control systems for seats. For example, some climate control systems are not easily integrated into existing seat construction methods. Such systems require a significantly greater number of parts as compared to existing automotive seats, and often require complex mechanical parts and/or electrical connections. In the past, this has resulted in increased costs for individualized occupant cooling in automobiles.
In particular, many advanced climate control systems allow the user to control individually the climate for each seat in the vehicle. In some systems, the user may also vary the climate between different portions of the seat. For example, the user may vary the climate settings between the seat cushion and the back cushion. In one arrangement, the user inputs the desired climate setting through an input or control switch. An intermediate control module interprets the signal from the control switch and generates control signals for a pair thermal modules, which are individually associated with the seat and back cushions. A set of power, control and signal wires extend between the thermal modules and the intermediate control module. These wires are used to control and drive the thermal modules to achieve the desired climate setting. In certain arrangements, seven or more wires may extend between the intermediate control modules and each thermal module. For one seat, therefore, there may be over fourteen wires extending between the intermediate control module and the climate control devices. These wires require a significant amount of space and complicate the design and layout of the climate control system.
Thus, there is a need for an improved climate control apparatus for a climate control system for seats.